This from Die Welt 23.1.21
Deepl.com translation
In a letter to management, 220 pilots criticized Lufthansa Technik's handling of errors. This was triggered by a maintenance breakdown on a Boeing 777 freighter, which resulted in an emergency situation.
The incident is unprecedented. A good 220 pilots of the cargo airline Lufthansa Cargo criticized their own management in an open letter. It is about Lufthansa Technik's reaction to the faulty maintenance of a large cargo aircraft in October.
Among other things, the pilots are angry that the two technicians responsible were fired. The maintenance errors had led to a serious incident that first became known after a report by the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU).
According to the report, the crew of a large Boeing 777 freighter operated by Lufthansa Cargo noticed faulty airspeed indicators shortly after takeoff from Frankfurt. They declared an air emergency, meaning a severe and immediate danger.
It was the aircraft's first mission after routine maintenance. Because the Boeing was fully fueled for a flight to China, fuel was dumped for half an hour to reduce landing weight. After the landing, which went smoothly, it was discovered "that the left and right static system sensors were not connected."
Obviously a maintenance error. In addition, a second technician acting as an inspector had stamped a system test as having been performed and approved, supposedly without complaint. In fact, sensor cables were not connected.
The pilots' protest letter, which is available to WELT, criticizes Lufthansa Technik's handling of the errors. "Regardless of the exact circumstances and the internal state of the investigation, we would like to express our concern about the dismissal of the two technicians in no uncertain terms," it says. It is important to deal constructively with mistakes, it said. What is needed is a "healthy, goal-oriented and therefore sustainable error culture". The dismissals should be withdrawn.
When asked, Lufthansa Technik "basically does not want to say anything" about the ongoing investigations. Personnel issues are not discussed publicly, the company says. Aviation security is the focus of the company's work.
Industry insiders point out that it is the second significant incident following faulty maintenance work in the Lufthansa Group. In April 2019, a Global 5000 jet operated by the German Armed Forces Air Force nearly crashed in Berlin.
At that time, according to the investigation report, "manual errors during installation and adjustment work" on the jet's controls caused the near crash. These installation errors also went undetected by the investigator at the time. No details are known about the personnel consequences at the time.